Tens Unit Post Fusion Surgery?

I have now been set up with a Tens Unit. It is to help the zingers in my leg I guess... and maybe help the nerve wake up.

Has anyone had a tens unit after their fusion? I have to put the patches on both sides of my incision and I kept asking them whether it would interfere with my fusing. They said no.. but I want to hear it for you, the gang too. HA

Would love to hear from anyone who used it (are using it) POST surgery.

My hubby used the tens unit after his surgery. It really did nothing for him. They said it should take care of his pain, it did not do that. Actually it drove him nuts, he did not like the feeling from it. I don't mean to be negative, because everyone is different. What works for some does not work for others. I have a friend who used one & she loved it. I guess the best thing is to try it for yourself & see how you react to it.

Personally, I think the Tens Unit is a joke. I have used it a couple of different times and it did nothing to help me, just cost me money and my time. Wish I could say it helped but I can't. I have yet to talk to anyone post surgery or not, that it has helped. Sorry I couldn't give you a positive answer, but it is what it is and in my opinion they do not do what they claim it can.
Joan

I got my TENS unit before my surgery and it worked wonders back then, I still use it from time to time and I think it is a good tool for treating my pain. There are many different settings and there is a couple that I find rather unpleasant. However, like Breny pointed out, everyone is different so what is good for me may not be good for you, but as far as it interfering with your fusion, I asked my PM doc, surgeon and PT if they knew of any reason why I shouldn’t use it and they all said the same thing, I should use it if I felt that I needed it and there would be no effect on my fusion or hardware. I also have used it on my elbow, leg and thigh, I personally love the little box, I usually have it on the wave mode, the burst mode is the one I can’t handle. My PT is the one who taught me how to use it properly. When I first got it, I was a little confused on where I should place the pads, and what all of the settings meant. The manual was no help either and I was a little disappointed with it. I did find out that I was using it wrong, and when I learned how to use it, I was very happy with it.

If you draw an imaginary square, and have your pain site that you want to concentrate on in the center of that square, you would place one pad on the upper left corner of that square, you would then place the other pad which is on the same lead wire on the lower right corner of the square. Then you would reverse the two pads on the other lead wire. That way the current would oscillate and center where your pain is, tricking your brain and essentially, blocking the pain signals. You shouldn’t use it for more than about forty-five minutes at a time, I usually use it for thiry minutes. Just like an ice pack, too much is no good and defeats the purpose and can actually cause more problems. But when used properly, it can be a beautiful thing. But once again, to each his or her own, everyone has different tastes, tolerances and senses. Skin sensitivity can be a real problem too, you should never share your pads with anyone either.

I guess I have confused myself enough for one post, I hope this helps you Hunni.

Carl:
Now I'm curious....the way you described the positioning of the pads made it sound like they go in a square with each lead on complimenting sides. My PT showed me how to place them and has me placing them in a square, but in opposite or diagonal corners, so it looks like it would put a big X across the pain.

I'm wondering if you mis-spoke or if this is just a different way of placing them.
What works for you?

Well, as Hunni and Breny pointed out, and actually myself included (thanks Breny) I was confused when I tried to convey the pad placement instructions. You are correct Hunni, and that was what I meant, they should be cris crossed like an X. I did edit my post to reflect this. Actually I was just testing you all to see if you would catch my mistake.